Box-opening device



May 4,1926. 1,583,603

H. L. NENNSTIEHL 4 BOX OPENING DEVICE Filed July 25, 1924 its finger piece.

Patented May 4, 1926. 1

T-ES PATENT oFFicE;

* UNITED. STA

HENRY L. NENNSTIEHL, or WILM I NGYL ON, DELAWARE, Assmnon T0 F. 1*. mm.

COMPANY, 1110., or BUFFALO,-1\TEW YORK, A CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

Box-onetime DEVICE.

Application filed July 25,"

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. NENNSTIEHL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented new and useful Improvements in Box-Opening Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a box opening device which is more particularly designed for use ona box having a body provided with a wall, having a lower ex'ternalcircumferential bead, and a cover provided with a flange. fitting frictionally around said wall and having an upper external circumferential head. I V

It istheobject of this invention to provide ,an' opening device for a box of this character which can be readily applied to such a box after the latter is manufactured, which does not require the formation of any openings in the box and thus prevents air from reaching the contents of the box and drying or deterioratingthe same, which can be easily, effectively and conveniently manipulated for opening the box, which .does not appreciably increase the space required for packing the same, and which can be manufactured and applied at low cost. In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a box providedwith my improved opening device.

Figures 2 and 3 are fragmentary vertical sections of the box, on an enlarged scale, through the front and rear parts of the box and opening device.

Figure 4. is a horizontal line 4. 1, Figure2.

Figure 5 is an edge view of the cam and section taken on Figure 6 is a detached perspective view of the opening device. f i

Figure 7 is a fragmentaryhorizontal section of the rear part of the opening device.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the box provided with'the opening device.

Similar characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

The box adapted to beopened by my improved opening device consists of a body and a cover, each constructed of sheet metal. The body comprises a bottom 10, a circular wall 11 rising from the edge of the bottom and a lower external annular bead 12 arranged circumferentially on the wall below the up- -finger piece. a The 'bIand 1924. Serial No. 728,140.

per edge thereof. The cover has a top 'l3,

depending circularflange 14: which fits fric tionally} around the wall of the body above the bead thereof,and an upper external annularbead 15 arranged circumferentially on the flange above the lower edge thereof.

My improved opening deviceis constructed as follows: i

The numeral 16 indicates a split ring or band constructed of a strip of sheet metal which is-bent so as to form twocrescent shaped side sections 17 each of 'whichis of I channel form incross section with the concave side facing inwardly, and a central front section the upper edge portion 18. of which is turned horizontally inwardly to form ailedge 'or shoulder which is a continuation of the'upper edge of the channel portions 17 while the lower part 19 of thefsame is arranged vertically and forms a vertical guide lip or bracket which depends from the upper edge portion 18. One endyof the split band' is provided with an eye oropening 20 and the other .end of the same ispro vided with atongue 21 which is adapted to be engaged with said eyeand to be bent into' a hook for interlocking the ends of the band.

- 'On the central part of the lip 19 isxpivotally mounted a prying member whereby up on' turning the prying member the cover may be loosened andpried off from the body for opening the box. For this pur osethe central part of the lip 19 isxprovi ed with a vertical slot 9 andla prying member is provided which-is constructed ofa fiat piece, of metal 'so as to form an elongated cam "22 which is normally arranged horizontally along the inner side of the lip, an elongated finger piece 23 normallyarranged horizontally along the outer side of the lip, and a narrow neckQt arranged :in said slot and connecting the central parts of the cain-and is applied a; the .cover: so that its channel shaped side sections fit over the upper bead on diametrically opposite sides thereof and the horizontal upper edge 18 of a the central section rests bead, the lip 19 projects downwardly past the upper and lower heads, the tongue 21- on top of the upper is engaged with said eye and bent into hook form and the cam of the prying member is arranged below the upper bead. Upon placing the cover thus equipped with'the opening device upon the body of the box the cam will be turned into a horizontal position and lifted somewhat in the slot of the lip by engagement of the cam with the lower bead of'the body.

When it is desired to open the body the prying member is turned in one direction or the other by the finger piece which causes the cam to bear at opposite ends against the upper and lower beads and separate the same with a cam or lever action and thereby loosen the box members preparatory to completely separating them when access to the contents thereof is desired. During this prying action of the cam its neck floats or moves vertically in the slot of the lip so that the cam is free to change its angular position without restraint which would not be the case if the neck of the cam were journaled at a definite point on the lip. The

slot in the lip also permits the lip and prying member to be readily assembled by passing the cam endwise through the slot of the lip before the band is secured to the cover, and after the band is mounted on the cover the prying member cannot assume such a position as will permit the cam to slip out-' wardly through the slotted lip and dismemher the same.

This opening device therefore, as a whole, consists of two parts, which can be produced at low cost and capable of being readily and easily applied to a box of standard construction without requiring any alteration in the latter. The same is very compact and permits of packing the boxes in the same space heretofore used for this purpose so that no increased expense or transportation difliculties would be experienced on this account.

Furthermore, this opening device avoids the formation of any openings in the box through which air could enter the same and spoil the contents.

Moreover, this opening device permits of applying a powerful prying'action on the cover and body with comparative ease, thereby permitting of fitting the cover and body tightly on each other so as to effectually exclude air and preserve the contents of the box indefinitely and still enable the box to be opened readily when required.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for opening a box having a body provided with a wall having a lower external circumferential bead, and a cover provided with a flange fitting around said wall and having an upper external circumferential bead, said device comprising a band adapted to encircle said upper bead,

having a part thereof constructed in the form of a channel which is adapted to receive said upper bead and another part thereof forming a depending lip, and a cam pivotally mounted on said lip and adapted to engage said lower bead.

3. A device for opening a box having a body provided with a wall having a lower external circumferential bead, and a cover provided with a flange fitting around said wall and having an upper external circumferential bead, said device comprising a band having a part thereof constructed in the form of a channel which is adapted to receive said upper bead and another part thereof forming a depending lip having a vertical slot, and a rotatable member having an elongated cam arranged on the inner side of said lip and adapted to engage said lower bead, an elongated finger piece arranged on the outer side of said lip, and a reduced neck extending through said slot and connecting the central parts of said cam and finger piece.

4. A device for opening a box having a body provided with a wall having a lower external circumferential bead, and a cover provided. with a flange fitting around said wall and having an upper external circumferential bead, said device comprising a band which is split at one point and is adapted to encircle said upper bead, one end of said band being provided with an eye and the other end of said band being provided with a tongue adapted to engage said eye and bent into the form of a hook for locking said 'band on said upper bead, and a rotatable cam pivotally mounted on said band and adapted to engage said lower bead.

- HENRY L. NENNSTIEHL. 

